Missouri House committee votes to reverse guns-on-campus ban

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A House committee has passed a bill that would allow concealed guns on college campuses.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reported the House Emerging Issues Committee passed the bill with an 8-3 vote Wednesday, winning unanimous support from Republicans.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jered Taylor, R-Nixa, would repeal the current guns-on-campus ban and replace it with language allowing people with concealed-weapon permits to have firearms on campus. The bill includes some restrictions.

Taylor said guns wouldn't be allowed in residence halls, classrooms educating preschool, elementary or high-school students or in laboratories where an accidental discharge could ignite volatile chemicals. He adds students who would want their weapons with them at school could opt out of any requirement that they live in a dormitory.

"I would prefer it to be allowed in dorms, for them to find a safe way to store it while they are in the dorms, but this is a way to move the bill forward," Taylor said.

Paul Wagner, executive director of the Council on Public Higher Education, said public, four-year universities still oppose the bill despite changes that were intended to resolve some of their concerns.

The Select Committee on General Laws will review the bill next. The chairman of that committee, Rep. Caleb Jones, R-Columbia, said he is inclined to support the bill.

Time is running out to move the legislation through as lawmakers adjourn in six weeks and already have dozens of bills ahead of Taylor's on the agenda.

Information from: Columbia Daily Tribune, http://www.columbiatribune.com